Each year, the International Health Section of APHA recognizes outstanding contributions of its members through its Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in International Health, its Mid-Career Award in International Health and the Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice. 

The Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health was created by the IH Section to honor the visionaries and leaders in APHA who have shaped the direction of International Health.  The evaluation criteria for the Lifetime Achievement Award include:

• Quality/creativity/innovativeness of the individual’s contributions to the field of International Health.
• The individual’s contributions to the development of APHA or the International Health Section.
• Application of the individual’s work to service delivery (as opposed to primarily theoretical value) .
• The individual’s contributions as a leader/visionary/role model.
• The volunteerism/sacrifice associated with the individual’s contributions .
• Membership in APHA (preferably with primary affiliation with the International Health Section), a state affiliate, or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. No self-nominations are allowed.

The Mid-Career Award in International Health is intended to recognize outstanding young professionals in the IH Section. The evaluation criteria for the Mid-Career Award include:

• The individual must have committed herself/himself to the promotion and development of primary health care in a cross-cultural setting over a period of 5-15 years [Primary health care is meant here to encompass a broad array of public health issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention and environmental health].
• The individual must have demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of public health with an international focus .
• Membership in APHA (preferably primary affiliation with the IH Section), a state affiliate, or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.
• No self-nominations allowed.

The Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice is intended to reward outstanding achievement in community-oriented public health epidemiology and practice. This award was established in 2006 by the IH Section.  It is administered by the Community Based Primary Health Care Working Group. John Gordon and John Wyon were pioneers in this field, so encouraging and recognizing others in this field is one important way of honoring their memory. The evaluation criteria for the Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice include:

• Must have had a central role in an outstanding achievement in community-oriented public health and practice .
• Must have demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of community-oriented public health with an international focus .
• Must have membership in APHA or one of its affiliates (either a state affiliate or a national public health association that is a member of the World Federation of Public Health Associations). The candidate must be nominated by someone other than the candidate.

Award nominations should include a letter explaining why the individual nominated should receive the award and the curriculum vitae of the nominee.  Nominations should be submitted by e-mail to the Awards Committee, Paul Freeman at freeman.p.a@att.net and Padmini (Mini) Murthy at minimurthy@aol.com.

Mentor of the Year Award

The Mentor of the Year Award is given annually to a mentor who has contributed unselfishly to the growth and development of a mentee. Members of APHA-SA nominate their own mentor and provide a statement detailing why their mentor is deserving of this award.

--Gopal Sankaran, gsankaran@wcupa.edu